


-i AN RPPeRL h 



-by ty\e- 



ff?ir;)i§ii7k Galley ^i${eneQxl %eeie{g. 




TO THE PUBLIC 



Soliciting Contribiitions of Historical Interest, consisting of 

booKs, parriphlets, docUrnents, and any other 

records pertinent to the purposes 

of this Society. 



^HE Executive Conqnqittee oft^ie MINISINK YHLLEY HISTORICHL SOCIETY solicit 
(®) frorT\tl;\eirfelIow-citi2eris doriatioris of booKs, old newspapers, tiistoricaland fairiily 
papers of every sort, genealogical tables, statistical inforrqation relative to tl:\e 
Various trades rqariUfactures arid business interests of tt\e territory to Wl:\ichi tl:\eir labors 
are principally confined, Vi7: tt^e Counties of Orange, Sullivan and Delaware in New YorK, 
Sussex and Warren in New Jersey, and PiKe, Monroe and Wayne in Pennsylvania. 
Tl:\e following l^eads Will explain n\ore in detail tt]e objects of our inquiry: 

1, Farnily papers, old receipts, letters, account books of ttie colonial or revolutionary 
tirqes. Every paper, written or printed, Wl|ict| l^as been in tlie possession of a farqily 
for fifty years.rqay prove of service to tl\e future l^istorian, and our friends oUgI^t,on no 
account, to onqit forwarding old letters, receipts or rqenqoranda, because tl^ey deeri| 
tl^erq Worthiless. 

2. Old deeds, cl|arters, corrirqissions to office, or land grants. 
3- Maps of lands, strearqs, or field booKs of surveys. 

4. Genealogies of farnilies and tl^eir connections. 

5. Biograpl^ical sKetcties of noted persons. 

6. Extracts fron\ old wills, sl^owing l^istorical facts or explaining curious and an- 
cient customs. JUso copies of old docunqents wt\ere tl^e owners or custodians do not 
feel Willing to part Witl^ tt\e original. 

7. Inscriptions on torqb stones ; and tl|ese sI:\oUld be copied literally witl^out alter- 
ing tlie spelling or punctuation. 

8. Legends or traditions of ttie several localities. 

9. BooKs and files or single newspapers pUblisl^ed in tl^e district. It is particu- 
larly desired to secure files of old newspapers of tY\e Counties above naiiied ; and a 
single copy of son\e paper rnay enable tl:\e Society to conqplete a portion of its collection 
under tills I|ead. 

10. Extracts frorn rare booXs or records existing elseWliere, relating to our l]istory. 

11. Historical WorKs Wl\icl| rr[ay facilitate tt^e researcl^es of tl|e Society for tl\e li- 
brary. 

12- Statistics of agriculture, rnanufactures and corqirierce, tl^e rqining. blUe-stone. 
lUir\ber and otl\er irqportant interests. 

13- fln account of tl\e Railroad and Canal conqpanies, tl|e Stage-lines, tl|e Turn-piKe 
and PlanX-foad organizations, Ferries and Bridge cornpanies, tt\eir rise and progress. 

14. Portraits and drawings of objects of interest. 

15- Poll and assessrnent lists, old nquster rolls and.nqinute or otI\er books of tt|e 
inilitia, particularly of tl\e early periods of tl\e country. 

16- Relics of tl\e colonial and revolutionary days; continental rqoney and curious 
coins and tokens, and especially tl|e iTioney issued by Village corporations, coinpanies 
and individuals. 



17. Old public records and reports froiri persons vJl^o Y\ave \\ad an opportunity of 
exanciining tl^e county, town, cl^urGl\ or otl:\er records, stating ttieir present condition 
and t\\e attention given to tt\erri by tl:\e custodians. 

18. Descriptions of old ctiurcties, l]ouses and n\en:\orable localities. 

19. Lists of tl|e public officers of forrT\er tiii\es, clergynqen, principals of acaderqies 
and scl\ools, witl) date of entry into and retiren\entfroiT\ office, and biographiical notices 
of ttieiT\. 

fl large nt^iTlber of Valuable l^istoiical papers t\aVe doubtless perisl\ed in tlje last 
few years, and we invite all persons interested in tl:\e good r[arc\e of tl\eir l:\oii\es to 
unite Witt! Us in rescuing frorq destruction tlr^ese rqaterials for l\istory, assuring tl:\en\ 
tt\at all articles deposited witlj tt|e MinisinK Yalley Historical Society will be carefully 
arranged for convenient reference and sacredly preserved for tl^e desired ends. Tliey 
Will be accessible for literary purposes, and in tlie event of tl:\e dissolution of tl|e Society, 
its collections Will be deposited wit!) tl:\e New York Historical Society and tl)Us forever 
serve a public purpose. 

We solicit papers relating to our objects to be read at tl:\e rqeetings of tl^e Society 
■wt|ict| will be placed in its arcl^ives, and Wt|icniriay l:\ereafter bepUblislied in pan\plilet 
forn) Wit):! sucli otl]er nqatters fron\ our collections as nqay be deeiT\ed of sufficient 
value and interest. 

Ttie rnerqbers l:\ip of tlrie Society is open to all Upon ttie ann^-lal payrrient of Two Dol- 
lars, Upon receipt of wl:|ict\ by t]\e Treasurer, a certificate of n\en\bers]:iip Will be fur- 
nislied. 

Donations sljould be forwarded to tl\e Secretary or Treasurer at Port Jervis, or if 
iriore convenient, rnaybe l~^anded to one of tl^e Executive CoiTin\ittee. Tl^e Secretary 
is instructed to acknowledge all donations to tl:\e Society. 

Two regular yearly irieetings of ttie Society will be t^eld. One, tl^e ann^Jal meeting 
for tlie election of officers, will be Upon Wasl\ington's Birtli-day, Feb. 22nd, and tl^e 
otlier Upon tlie Anniversary of tl:\e MinisinK Battle, July 22nd. Otl:\er rqeetings Will be 
l\eld fronn tirqe to tirr\e at tlr^e call of tlie Executive Corrinqittee. 

Tt\e Iqistorical events Whiicl) Y\ave transpired Witliin our liiiqits, and tlie n\any en\t- 
nent rrien to wliorn tlqis region of country l|as given birtl], nqaKe it proper and ever) 
render it necessary to a correct Understanding of liistory, ttiat our local traditions, pa- 
pers etc., sliould be carefully collected and preserved. Our older inl^abitants Wliose 
rqinds are stored Witlri traditions ricli in t]\e l]istory of ttje past l\ave n\ostly passed 
aWay, wl^ile letters and docUrrients wl|icli are invaluable as ir\eiT\entoes of oUr past l^is- 
tory are, in tt\e extinction of farqilies and divisions of estates, being lost and destroyed. 

Tliese painful facts bespeaK tl^e necessity of an organization sucl]' as is proposed by 
our Society, and We sincerely liope tliat tl^e pride of tlie people in, and tlieir patriotic 
love for, tl\eir l\ori\es will induce all cordially to assist us in carrying out tl^e objects of 
tliis Society. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

lllillllll 



014 432 774 3 



OFFICERS : 



Yice-Presiderits. 



Rev. S. W. MIIvLS, President. 
Dr. S, YflN ETTEN, 
FRANCIS iVLflRYIN,/ 
MOSES L. COLE, 
JNO, L. BONNELL, 
Dr. W. L. CUDDEBHCK, Rec. Sec. 
W. H. NEHRPflSS, Cor. Sec. 

BENJ. YHN FLEET, ' 
0, P. HOWELL, 
C. E. CUDDEBHCK, 
H. H, FflRNUM, 
Port Jervis, N. Y., April SOtl), 1889. 



Ex, CoiT\, 



Port Jervij QASErre Jop Print. 



